The reigning Olympic champion Peres Jepchirchir’s primary goal was to secure an opportunity to defend her Olympic gold rather than aiming for a women-only marathon world record. However, she achieved both objectives by pulling away in the late stages to clinch victory in the London Marathon women’s race on Sunday.
Jepchirchir, hailed as one of the most exceptional female distance runners in history, celebrated exuberantly, raising her arms as she crossed the finish line in two hours, sixteen minutes, and sixteen seconds. The Kenyan shattered the women’s record, surpassing Mary Keitany’s 2017 mark by forty-five seconds, achieving this feat without male pacemakers.
The field included several runners with the potential to break the record, yet it was Jepchirchir who etched her name in history, crossing the finish line ahead of Ethiopia’s world record holder, Tigst Assefa, in a sprint to the end.
Jepchirchir displayed an impressive burst of speed in the final stretch, effortlessly leaving behind world record holder Tigst Assefa and two other competitors as she sprinted alone towards the finish line in front of Buckingham Palace. Her finishing time of 2 hours, 16 minutes, and 16 seconds secured her the victory, with Assefa in second place and Joyciline Jepkosgei in third.
The temperature stood at an unseasonably cool 7 degrees Celsius when the women began their race at 9:25 am. It was chilly enough for Jepchirchir to don a black hat for warmth. Initially, the pace was blistering, with the first three miles covered at a speed faster than Assefa’s world record.
However, the pace began to stabilize long before the pacemakers withdrew, shortly after the halfway mark. As the race progressed, the pace fluctuated once again, transforming from a timed event into a competitive race. Nonetheless, Jepchirchir welcomed this shift, knowing it played to her strengths in the final sprint.
Throughout the race, the leading quartet – Jepchirchir, Assefa, 2021 winner Joyciline Jepkosgei, and last year’s runner-up, Megertu Alemu – maintained a cautious approach, avoiding pushing the pace. However, when Jepchirchir surged with 600 meters remaining, she decisively sealed the victory.
Jepchirchir expressed her joy following her record-breaking win, stating, “I am so happy for the victory,” “I was not expecting to run a world record – I knew it might be beaten but I did not expect it to be me as I knew the history and the ladies were strong. But I’ve come good today and set a personal best.”
Moreover, Jepchirchir’s victory is likely to solidify her spot on Kenya’s Olympic team for Paris. She mentioned that the London Marathon marked the last opportunity for qualification before Kenya’s Olympic selectors make their decisions for Paris, stating that; “I was not expecting to run that time,” Jepchirchir said. “I was trying to work extra hard to defend my title in the Olympics.”
The London marathon particularly provided Kenya with ample opportunity to rejoice as Jepchirchir’s fellow Kenyan, Alexander Mutiso Munyao, also clinched victory in the men’s elite race with a time of 2:04.01. He outpaced the legendary Kenenisa Bekele, 41, who finished second, while British runner Emile Cairess secured third place, marking himself as the second-fastest British man ever over the distance with his time of 2:06.46.
Prior to the race, a tribute was paid to Kelvin Kiptum, the world record holder and winner in 2023, who tragically passed away in a traffic accident near his home in Kenya earlier in the year.
In another event, Marcel Hug secured a historic fourth consecutive victory in the men’s wheelchair race, while Britain’s David Weir finished third, marking his 25th consecutive London Marathon. The women’s wheelchair race saw another Swiss athlete, Catherine Debrunner, clinch a commanding victory, crossing the finish line over five minutes ahead of her closest competitor.
